Sister Alice Sunday School 8/28/11
Mat 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
The Jewish nation has always been proud of the temple. It is a symbol of Christ. All our lifting up should be of Christ as the temple. We want Him on the throne of our human vessel.
Mat 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Take heed that no man deceive you. The enemy walks about as a roaring lion and we see others being deceived today. We need to keep Christ as our all and all. It is a safety to us to take care of and hold unity. There will be those that are deceived and if we don’t take care we will be in that list.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
We are living in this day today.
Touching on famines:
Act 11:27 And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.
Act 11:28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
These famines did happen. History tells us that the famine during those days was probably worse than the famine when Jerusalem fell. This was a fall that happened forty years later, the temple was laid to the ground and the ground could be plowed under the temple.
In this day there is a famine of hearing the word of God. People have different gods and are holding to whatever and believing that it will take them through.
Act 18:1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
Act 18:2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
We see that all the Jews were kicked out of Rome.
Act 18:3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
Act 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
Act 18:5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
I want us to hold in our minds and hearts that we are to persuade people, not just share the word of God. We are to convince them that there is something out there that is real and true. We persuade them because we are living it.
When was the last time that you were pressed in the spirit? When was the last time that you were pressed to testify? We need to consider our mission. If you are too busy with other things then there are some things that you need to let go.
Grandma Alteneder when pressed to do something for God thought, “What about the children, the garden…?” God spoke to her, “I can take the children and the garden, I want you to work for me.”
There is always more than one witness. There is the word and the Spirit and there will always be another true witness if we look for it.
Act 21:10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.
Act 21:11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
Act 21:12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.
Act 21:13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
Act 21:14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
After Josiah my next example of enduring to the end is Paul. Paul’s heart was fixed. He had it settled. He was going to complete His mission for God.
Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
No matter what horrible place we are in, I emphasize that we need to love one another. This is the proof that we love God. How we treat one another is a reflection of how we are treating God. This is how we will know how we are treating God.
The only way love will work is through faith in God. Moses was able to work with the people because he loved them. He asked to be wiped out instead of the people.
When I’ve been in a dark valley it is the love of the saints that has brought me through. I want my love to help bring others through valleys as yours has for me.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
About love, in the love chapter:
1Co 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
1Co 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
1Co 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
There are many that can exhort or move others by their speech. Hitler did this and it did not do anything for God. We need charity.
Love, real love in action, is what will cause us to endure. We must be steadfast in order to endure.
1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
If God has forgiven us of our sin then death has no sting for us, we will be with Christ.
To endure we must be thankful. It helps give us the victory. Knowing that we are loved helps us to be steadfast and unmovable and to abound in the work of the Lord does the same.
2Th 1:3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
In Josiah’s time they had lost faith in God, “Nothing good or bad will happen.” Their faith above grew exceedingly because the charity of each one to the other abounded.
Mat 11:21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
There was a parallel in Christ and Jeremiah. Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet. We see here the heaviness and attitude of weeping in Christ. They neglected what Christ taught. He wanted them to be living out and accepting the mission that God sent Him on earth for.
Mat 11:22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
Mat 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
Mat 11:24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Mat 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
How do we get past heaviness?, by thanksgiving.
Mat 11:26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Someone I spoke to yesterday told me that they believed only certain are chosen at birth to receive salvation.
Here we read “come all that labor and are heavy laden.” All that choose to come to God may. People get a calloused heart by refusing Him. This only is what will cause them to be unable to be saved.
There is a companionship in being yoked to Christ. If we put our heart and mind into learning of Christ, it will put our minds off of our self. How quick we would be to grab our own problems and weights back if we were to put all the problems and burdens that people are carrying on the floor.
The name of Zephaniah means ‘servant of the Lord’. I want to be a servant of the Lord.
The name Jeremiah means ‘the Lord will rise’. Jeremiah was called when he was 14 years old and lived true and faithful to that call. In the 13th year of Josiah’s reign, Jeremiah came on the scene and began to prophesy.
The attachment of Jeremiah to his country and people was strong and fervent. He might have saved His life by joining with the Babylonians. He chose instead to stay with the people and go down to Egypt. He was a reproving prophet and reproved the people so that perhaps God would do differently.
God was intent on making the people go into Babylon because of Manassas’s terrible reign. None of the people stood against Manassas. They went right on with Him for 55 years. Josiah came after him.
Josiah was not raised Godly, we think that if people are raised Godly then they will be Godly; this is not always so. It is the choices we make that determine if we serve God, not our family. There are those that are raised Godly and do not choose to live for God, we as parents cannot make our children serve God. Any that chooses to, no matter the wickedness of people around them or the family they come from, they can choose to serve God.
The children of Israel had a reprieve from what was coming because of the godly life of Josiah. His first son ruled wickedly and the Babylonians came in, the next son reigned wickedly as well.
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet:
Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luk 19:43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
God sent Jesus to cause the hearts of the people to turn to God. It is no coincidence that Jesus and Jeremiah parallel.
Jeremiah taught that the heart of religion is an individual’s personal relationship to God. It is not just a country serving God. We can see this in America.
Matthew Henry – preached the beauty of holiness. He taught that the grave will ravish everything we are except the beauty of holiness. It belongs to God and He gives it because of our obedience to the Word.
Jeremiah preached His heart out and chose to go with that people. The people had very little regard for Jeremiah. We need to pay good head to these words and take advantage of the fact that it was written and was written for us. All the Word of God is thus.
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